Lakers: Ranking LeBron James' Best Birthday Performances of His Career
The Lakers are getting set to play the Atlanta Hawks on a very special day — the birthday of their superstar LeBron James. This is far from the first time LeBron has been able to suit in up on his birthday — in fact, Friday will be the ninth. So, I thought it would be fun to look back at his previous eight birthday performances, and rank them ahead of game No. 9 in Atlanta.
No. 8: Welcome to the League, Rook
LeBron James' first birthday game came in his rookie year in Cleveland in 2003. The Cavaliers lost to the Pacers 92-89, but the kid from Akron definitely did his part. James had 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists on 45% shooting from the field. He was the game's leading scorer, but couldn't will Cleveland to victory in his first career birthday game. As a late birthday gift, he did go on to win the Rookie of the Year Award later that season.
No. 7: First Hollywood Performance
LeBron James has only played one birthday game thus far with the Lakers. That came in 2020, when LA took on the San Antonio Spurs in the fifth game of the season (it started late because of COVID-19). James, coming off a championship with the Lakers just a few months before, put in 26 points, five rebounds and eight assists, leading the Purple and Gold to a convincing 121-107 victory. James was his team's leading scorer, and this was by far his largest birthday win.
No. 6: The Final Cleveland Birthday
LeBron has played five of his eight birthday games with the Cavaliers. His final one comes in at No. 6 on the list. LeBron's Cavs lost a close one to the Utah Jazz in 2017, 104-101. LeBron put up 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but had six turnovers and went just one-for-seven from three. He, yet again, led his team in scoring, but wasn't able to lead them to victory.
No. 5: The Final South Beach Birthday
LeBron played two birthday games with the Miami Heat — one in 2011 and one in 2013. His 2013 battle with the Denver Nuggets comes in at No. 5 on the list. James put in 26 points, six rebounds and 10 assists, and made an impressive five-of-nine of his threes. His Heat narrowly won 97-94, and, yet again, James led his team in scoring. That seems to be a common theme in these games.
No. 4: Another Do-It-All Performance
LeBron's 2006 performance against the Chicago Bulls was the second-worst birthday loss of his career — but it definitely wasn't his fault. James scored 33 points to go along with nine rebounds and three assists. He went 15-26 from the field (57.7%) and three-of-four from deep (75%), but couldn't will his team to victory. James led the game in scoring, but his team went down 103-96.
No. 3: Scoring Barrage in South Beach
The third-best LeBron birthday performance comes as a member of the Cavaliers against his future team, the Miami Heat. LeBron did just about everything for Cleveland in this 2008 battle, putting in 38 points, seven assists, two blocks and going 11-14 from the charity stripe. However, the Cavs were outmatched that night, as they lost 104-95, in LeBron's worst career birthday loss. But still, his impressive 38 points lands at No. 3 on the list. And yes, LeBron led his team (and the game) in scoring.
No. 2 The Near-Triple Double
LeBron has never had a triple-double on his birthday. As a member of the Heat in 2011, however, he came pretty close. In just the fourth game of the season due to the NBA lockout, LeBron's Heat beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 103-101, thanks in large part to the play of James. LeBron put in 34 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists, and four steals, falling just two rebounds shy of a birthday triple-double. He also finished with a +/- of +14 — the highest of any birthday performance — and was the game's highest scorer.
No. 1: Putting on a Show for the Home Fans
LeBron has surprisingly only played two home birthday games in his career — the No. 8 spot on this list in 2003, and the No. 1 spot on this list, a 2009 game against the Atlanta Hawks. LeBron must have known that the next five birthdays would be spent on the road, because he put on quite the show for his hometown Cleveland fans. LeBron was on another planet that day, dropping 48 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks on 65.2/66.7/87.5 shooting splits. He was truly unguardable on his way to a 106-101 victory, and, yet again, led his team and the game in scoring.
LeBron will have another chance to make some birthday history on Friday. In his career on December 30, he's averaging 32.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. He currently sits at 4-4 in his career on his special day, so he'll be looking to push himself to an all-time winning record on his birthday.
